yk,

What brand is your 19" rolling bag and how much does it weigh? I recently bought a 20" Travelpro Crew7 but am thinking of returning it because it's still kind of heavy and looks big-- they call it 20" but it's really almost 22, while the one called 22" is really 23.5". All the light weight 19" ones I fall in love with online (such as the Delsey 50cm Expandream Plus) aren't available in the US (even online).

I looked again today at Macy's, and there are a few new 19" ones but all quite heavy. Maybe I'll shop for one in Europe on my next trip, but then I'd have to struggle with 2 rolling bags on the way home.

fifi- Unfortunately, I also bought the TravelPro Crew6 (?) series. The interior measures 18" only, but they call it 19". When zipped closed, it measures 20" from handle to wheels, which should pass the most stringent carry-on rule at London Heathrow. It weighs close to 8lbs, which is still heavier than I would like, but I got it at a clearance sale, so I can't really complain for how little I paid for it.

fifi- You can check this thread with some suggestions for lightweight luggage. Some recommended the Heys Xcase which is extremely lightweight, though I read some negative reviews on it when I looked on some other website.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35148961

I agree with Celticharper - you don't want some strange airport employee manhandling your socks - keep those things in a ziploc!

MadamoiselleFifi, keep checking ebay & enter "Delsey luggage" in the search function. They currently don't have the exact thing but it may come up as they had several others of that brand.

Thank you for all of your suggestions! The rolling backpack sounds like a possibility for me. I will probably just check my main bag so I don't have to deal with it at airports. We usually have a layover in the U.S., since we don't live near a major hub. I will try to cut down on some of the extras that I have taken in the past. I might look for a lighter bag that is also a "spinner". Do you think that type of bag is easier to manage?

I had thought about getting a spinner, but in the end, decided against it for 2 main reasons:

1) 2 extra wheels = extra weight
2) 2 extra wheels = added chance of damage and rendering your suitcase unusable

If you look at most rollaboard suitcases, the 2 wheels are rollerskate type wheels which are very sturdy (and protected). But the extra 2 wheels on spinners tend to be the cheaper wheels and to me, they look like they can get knocked off with a small blow.

If your bag is light enough, a spinner doesn't make much of a difference compared to the regular 2-wheeler.

I've never taken an entire first aid kit on a trip in my entire life. Now I do take some aspirin/ibuprofen, pepto bismo tablets and a few bandaids, but that's all. I don't call that a kit but maybe you do. I've never needed anything else, either. All of that fits in one small ziplock bag (sandwich size or less) and doesn't weight much. Last trip I did have a special ointment I had to apply, with large bandaids to a wound that was healing where the doctor removed a growth on my back, so I put some of that ointment in a small empty film container (which most people don't have anymore, I guess, but I saved some -- any small lightweight bottle will do) to take as I didn't need very much of it each day.

Some flights won't even allow you do carry on a 22" bag if it is very full, but some will.

I did just get a lightweight bag with spinner wheels and really liked it. The spinner wheels don't really add any weight over the legs that would be there if they were not, I don't think (not countable, anyway), and the wheels were just as sturdy as the ones on the other part of the bag. They were the same, I think. I do admit it does seem like a great chance the wheels may get broken, but mine did not. I really liked it as I think it can be easier or less tiring to roll a bag beside you than pulling it, for some distances. It's not a drag on your arm that way.

I don't know if they have 19" bags, but I bought mine from ebags.com online and it was Ricardo of Beverly Hills, Capistrano Lite collection. They have a lightweight line I liked better than Delsey. I was getting a 24-25" and it took off five pounds from my old one that size. Kohl's has that brand on sale a lot, but they did not have the lightweight model with the spinner wheels. They did have a lightweight regular-wheel one which was nice, also.

TJ Maxx (here in Seattle) had an incredible selection of suitcases last weekend. Lots of good brands in the $50 price range.